On 16 June the councillors of the Masovia Province took an ultimate decision concerning the distribution of means within the Self-Government Support Programme for the Volunteer Fire Service Units in the Masovia Province "OSP - 2008". The VFS units from the whole Masovia will get 15 million zlotys from the budget of the Masovia Province. By Marta Milewska
10th Polish Art Contest
112 not to be Played With
The motto of this year's contest was "112 in difficult cases - don't play with this". It was to make children realize how important the emergency number 112 is and that under that number they can always find help in a life- or health-threatening situation. (own info)
Carrot instead of Stick
Giving aid is not like cycling, which cannot be forgotten till the end of one's life. This knowledge has to be refreshed regularly. And in the learning process awards should outnumber punishments. These are the trends in the rescue education, says Jakub Sieczko, the head of the Scout Rescue School. Interview by Anna Łańduch
200 liters of chlorine leaked in a sewage treatment plant in Poznań
Yellow Cloud over Wilda
Chlorine leaked from a damaged gas cylinder on the area of Aquanet water treatment plant in Poznań at the beginning of June. Dispersing chlorine gas posed a threat for both people and environment. Immediate action was necessary. By Jerzy Ranecki
Mass Decontamination - a problem of the early 21st century. Part 1
As any other creature in the world, we are subject to many dangers. We learn a way to live with them, which does not prevent us from searching a best possible method of fighting them. Progress in such areas as medicine or science enabled us to eliminate or significantly limit some dangers in the 20th century. We have to remember yet, that some new dangers will come in the future. By Ryszard Grosset and Marcin Anszczak.
Rescue Service - Not Only Fashion
Integrated medical rescue service is a basis of an efficient modern safety system. Creating such system is a difficult long-term procedure, which requires cooperation of different rescue services, governmental administration as well as self-governments. By Elżbieta Przyłuska
Exercises on "Stara Morawa"
Tactical action exercises with the code name "nieżnik 2008" were the first serious readiness test for "Odra" and "Kaczawa" - flood companies of the Central Operational Resources Support, which were created in the Lower Silesia province this year, as well as for a logistic company "Lubań", which is also a relatively young unit. By Lech Lewandowski.
Coming of New Gas
CNG in vehicles and the safety of the rescuers
With the increasing number of stations and vehicles fueled with natural gas, the firefighters are obliged to learn all the threats the CNG installations pose to their own safety and to the safety of the rescued people. By Maciej Pietrzak
Up in Gdynia
It happened! After ten years there is a new champion of the high altitude rescue - Junior Sergeant Tomasz Rozgoński from the City HQ of the SFS in Gdynia. (own info)
25th Polish Championships in Fire Sport
Champion did not Fail
The jubilee 25th edition of the Polish Championships in Fire Sport was dominated by the national champion of the hook ladder and firefighting biathlon, Artur Tokarczyk, contending with... himself! This talented competitor entered the track of the stadium in Częstochowa radiant with success achieved during 10th Championships of the Kujawy Pomerania Province in Fire Sport. (own info)
Stairway to Heaven
The Warsaw Palace of Culture and Science welcomed again in June firefighters from all across Poland, who came there to climb the 30th floor and, first of all, to reach their peak efficiency. (own info)
What threatens the green lungs of Warsaw?
The Kampinoski National Park is located north-west of Warsaw. Eastern winds, which bring oxygen into the city, prevail here constituting 67 percent of all winds. The park is colloquially called "green lungs" of the capital city. These two areas, totally different when it comes to their landscape and level of urbanization (forests and meadows vs. city with almost 2 million inhabitants) are joined, which is clearly visible on the satellite pictures. By Włodzimierz Szaga
Unusual Causes and Circumstances of Fires and Explosions
Imagination Exercises
It is commonly known that investigations searching for the causes of fires and explosions, and, consequently, aiming at finding culprits, are generally very difficult. For effective investigations it is not enough to know the mechanism of the combustions process and explosion itself but also to know the cause and effect relationships, which determine the possibility of these incidents happening. By Tomasz Sawicki
Foam Up!
Foam is not only up, but foam is winning - this can be said after the May study visit in Luckenwalde near Berlin, a town, where One Seven company is based. The company designs fire protection foam systems and manufactures stationary foam extinguishers using so-called compressed air foam. By Jacek Piechocki.
Out of Concern for the Earth's Future
The first International Symposium on "Forest Fires" took place in a congress center Le Manager in Chambery, France. Among the participants were the representatives of Germany, France, Italy, Austria, Greece, Chile, Ecuador, the United States and Poland. By Iwona Cłapa
Dressing Rules of the SFS Firefighters in Questions and Answers
Krzysztof Krężel answers the most frequent questions concerning a broad spectrum of dressing rules in the SFS.
Professional Burnout
Professionals of numerous areas struggle with professional burnout, but it threatens at most people working in services or people with occupation, which may be called social, concerning helping the others. By Paulina Kozień.
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